Rio welcomed me with clear skies, 34 degrees, and traffic that looks like a permanent rush hour.
Going up to the SugarloafA very French looking theatreThe Carioca clock -a good meeting point downtownThe oldest Coffee house in Rio – a proper tourist meccaEscadaria Steps – full of messages in tiles. Take your pick of the Mona LisaMusic is everywhereThe Museum of tomorrow – terrific building Inside the museum of tomorrow Sunset at IpanemaJC above the crowds
Everything was preparing for the carnival. The tickets are expensive and the Cariocas take advantage of the free technical rehearsals (all the moves, but no glitter, elaborate costumes or floats) that start in January and carry on until a few days before the real thing starts. I managed to catch the very last day of the rehearsals, Sunday, as well as the first day of the real carnival on Ash Wednesday. Itala, who I met at the Technical, explained that each samba school enacts a story (with a religious content) and each group of dancers and players within tells a part of the story. The procession takes between 45′ and 1 hour to traverse the Sambodromo (which, for the rest of the year, is a normal street full of traffic). The one advice I was given about joining in the fun was “mas brillo, menos ropa!”(more glitter, less clothes).
It was good to cool down in the Atlantic; the beaches are full all the time and all life is here: food and goods hawkers, caipirinha makers, fun seekers, hairdressing appointments…
Beach wraps for saleShort back and sidesMassage, anyone?Going blond
When going on a “free” (pay what you think it’s worth, but it is suggested you pay at least 100 reales) walking tour of Rio, learnt I could use public transport for free as I was over 65 – it works for everyone, as long as you show a document proving your age. On the buses, the driver would wave my driving license at a camera and then ask me to get on through the exit door to avoid the turnstile. Uber is inexpensive too, especially the motorbikes, which weave through the traffic at a fair (and very scary) clip…
Trip to the favelaFavela electricians must be specialFavelas are on steep hills – motors take you up
I wanted to travel down to Iguazu Falls by coach; to buy a ticket online, the Brazilian websites ask for the CPF (cepeefe – the tax number). They show the option for a passport number but then ignore that you may be foreign and not have a Cpf. It was only after I bought the flight (no issues with Cpf there) that I found out the ways around it: try 11 zeros, it sometimes works; go to the post office and buy a tax number (the legal option); ask Google to generate a fake CPF number (it does, and is useable).
A party round the corner from the hotelThe Petrobras (oil co) HQ – voted one of the ugliest buildings in RioThe cannonball tree (Rio’s tree) – beautiful flowers, deadly fruit – it is very heavy, like a bowling ball.
Leticia is where a wedge of Colombia pokes at the mighty Amazon, a shaft between Peru and Brazil – a tripartite border. Having consulted various sources (Rome2Rio, Lonely Planet, a few others), thought it a good idea to catch a slowish boat (4 days) from Leticia to Manaus. The flight from Bogota at 6 am meant being up at 03:30. The sunrise over the clouds was worth it.
Leticia – boat trip to the monkey sanctuary (this is the guide’s son, come for the ride)Fresh fish and chicken at the marketMy lunch being made
Should someone wish to do it, here are a few things you need to know: everyone (local and visitors) who doesn’t just transit Leticia (to go to Brazil or Peru) must pay a 50000 Col peso tourist tax. You also need a stamp in the passport from the Colombian immigration authorities, but it can only be acquired 24 hours or less before leaving Colombia… As I was staying in Leticia for 2 night (the boat timetable is a bit erratic) the stamp required another trip to the airport immigration office. There is no physical border between Colombia and Brazil at this point, so one needs to take the exit stamp to the Brazilian authorities in Tabatinga, who acknowledge that you are entering Brazil by stamping your passport…which is needed to buy the ticket for the boat. As this was going on, took a boat trip to a monkey sanctuary…
Leticia and Tabatinga flow seamlessly one into the other and the only visible difference is the shop signs – changing from Spanish to Portuguese (and vv). The no man’s land is abstract, but the bureaucracy is very real (“tramites” – paperwork – is the dreaded word in Spanish). The boat timings are vague. The boat I took was scheduled at noon; officially delayed till 1500; we actually sailed at 1700. I had my hammock, and my plate, cup and spoon. (The four days’ trip, with 3 meals a day, was c £40; for that I could wash my utensils.)
Waiting for the boatThe hammocks are upLoading and unloading is all done manually
There was an added bit of excitement on day 3: we were stopped by the river police at 4:30 and made to dock next to their boat. Everyone had to get off while they searched the boat – turns out they’d had a tip off that drugs were on board. The bush telephone said later that one of the boat cleaners had stowed the drugs in the bilge of the boat. Several arrests were made. Breakfast was very late… (complaints were made when the crew went to eat first, disregarding the queue).
4:30 am. Everyone off the boatSniffer dog was usedQueueing for breakfast (though the little one couldn’t wait)
We arrived in Manaus on Sunday morning at 5, 12 hours later than scheduled. The town, over 2 million people, is now an industrial hub for a number of industries – motorbikes, electronics – a far cry from the rubber baron times which started it. The opera house still looks grand and thoroughly European.
My jungle trip (booked through the Amazon Antonio Jungle Tour) started early the next day, going first by car, then by boat: a few days on the Urubu (Vulture) river (acidic, clear brown water) then two days on the Amazon (alkaline, muddy). The acidic environment means there are fewer mosquitoes and other insects, and therefore fewer other animals up the chain. Maybe we’ve been spoilt with the wonderful Attenborough documentaries; it definitely was not easy to spot wildlife, even with the expert help of the guide.
Cooling downMangrove woodsAntonio Amazon jungle lodgesThe Urubu river is sometimes like glass
A couple of hours’ trek through the rainforest and a night in the jungle were the highlight. We were only 4 – Alvaro (the guide), Sabine and Chris from Vienna and I. We were full of admiration for Alvaro’s ability to get the fire going from (what looked like) very wet wood. There was a little caiman in the stream we used for cooking and washing…. Of course, it rained torrentially in the night.
Our camp in the rainforest – we were grateful for the tarpaulin!Chris, Sabine and AlvaroGetting the wood for the fireChicken cooking!There was rice with vegetables, fruit…Only about 2 ftDinner by candlelightA wild hen got spooked – they don’t return to sit on the eggs (Alvaro took them to his mum to hatch)Alvaro’s father – they live locallyLeaf cutting antsAlvaro started the fire and made coffee Bananas, pineapple, papaya – breakfast
There were more animals on the Amazon part of the trip – Jose, our guide, certainly knew where to find them. Sloths, monkeys, birds… Francesco, my new companion, and I were thoroughly impressed. We even managed to catch a piranha (thrown back as too tiddly, but hey!)
A slothHoatzin birdsHanging nestsFrancesco, and Jose the guide steering Our hostess (and cook) in the indigenous villageGleaming utensils in the kitchenThe chief of the village Lovely poseMy piranha – in close up
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